A bungalow is any single story house. The word dervies from Hindi from 1676. and is literally a house "in the Bengal style". [1] Such houses were traditionally small, only one storey, thatched and had a wide veranda [1]. Bungalows today are simply any single story house and can be quite large.
A joking alternative explanation for the name is that it was invented by a team of house builders who ran out of bricks after constructiong the first storey and had to bung a low roof on top.
Bungalows are very convenient for the homeowner in that all living areas are on a single storey and there are no stairs between living areas. Bungalows can be more easily converted to a wheelchair-accessible home.
On a per unit area basis (e.g. per square foot), bungalows are more expensive to construct than two storey houses because a larger foundation and roof area is required for the same living area. The larger foundation will often translate into larger lot size requirements as well. This is why bungalows are typically fully detached from other houses and do not share a common foundation nor party wall. If the homeowner can afford the extra expense of a bungalow relative to a two storey house, they can typically afford to be fully detached as well. Though the "footprint" of a bungalow is a often a simple rectangle, any foundation is possible. For bungalows with brick walls, the windows are often positioned high and are right to the roof. This avoids the need for special arches or lintels to support the brick wall above the windows. In two storey houses, there is no choice but to continue the brick wall above the window (and the second storey windows may be positioned high and right to the roof.)
A ranch bungalow is a bungalow organized so that bedrooms are on one side and "public" areas (kitchen, living/dining/family rooms) are on the other side. If there is an attached garage, the garage is on the public side of the house so that a direct entrance to the house is possible (where allowed by legislation). On narrower lots, public areas are at the front of the house and such an organization is typically not called a "ranch" bungalow. Such houses are often smaller and only have 2 bedrooms in the back.
A raised bungalow is where the basement is partially above ground. The benefit is that more light can enter the basement with above ground windows in the basement. A raised bungalow typically has a foyer at ground level that is half-way between the first floor and the basement. This further has the advantage of creating a foyer with a very high ceiling without the expense of raising the roof or creating a skylight. Raised bungalows often have the garage in the basement. Because the basement is not that deep, and the ground must slope downwards away from the house, the slope of the driveway is quite shallow. This avoids the disadvantage of steep driveways found in most other basement garages. Bungalows without basements can still be raised, but the advantages of raising the bungalow are much less.
Paradoxically, bungalows can come with second storey lofts. The loft may be extra space over the garage. It is often space to the side of a great room with a vaulted ceiling area. The house is still classified and marketed as a bungalow with loft because the main living areas of the house are on one floor. All the convience of single floor living still applies and the loft is not expected to be accessed on a daily basis. Some houses have extra bedrooms in the loft or attic area. Such houses are really "one and half" stories and not a bungalow. True bungalows do not use the attic. Because the attic is not used, the roof pitch can be quite shallow, constrained only by snow load considerations.